Additional community forum added for community to review draft maps for by-trustee area elections planned in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District

Community will have additional opportunity to review,

provide input on draft maps prior to board action;

new feedback form available online in English or Spanish

WHAT: The Mt. Diablo Unified School District (MDUSD) invites families, students, community and business leaders, and other stakeholders to attend a newly-scheduled community input forum to review and provide feedback on a set of three draft scenarios (Red|Green|Blue) for future by-trustee area elections. The additional forum has been scheduled for Wednesday, September 11. This would be the last opportunity for the community to provide in-person comments until the next Board hearing on September 23.

Additionally, a digital feedback form has been added to the District’s website so community members can provide their input online in English or Spanish.

As it transitions to the by-trustee area elections system model, MDUSD will be organized into five individual trustee areas. Previously, trustees were elected by voters of the entire district. In the new process, trustees will be elected by the voters living within the trustee’s respective area. Input previously provided at public hearings in June helped determine criteria used by the demographer in drafting the maps. Information about the process is available at https://mdusd-ca.schoolloop.com/boardelections.

This will be the third formal Public Hearing to solicit public input on draft maps of trustee areas and proposed sequence of elections and summarize input from community forums. The meeting may include potential Board action to narrow number of published draft maps for final consideration, and/or to direct the creation of one or more revised draft maps. The meeting may also provide for further public hearing activity on the waiver request to State Board of Education.

This will be the fourth formal Public Hearing to solicit public input on draft maps of trustee areas and proposed sequence of elections. The meeting will include resolutions to adopt the trustee-area maps and proposed sequence of elections, and to request a waiver of the Special Election requirement from the State Board of Education.

Translations from English to Spanish and American Sign Language will be available at each forum. Families who would like to have other languages available are asked to call Arlina Diaz, Translation Services, at (925) 682-8000, ext. 4045 or diaza@mdusd.org so we can work toward locating interpreters.

BACKGROUND: The timeline for establishing trustee areas and transitioning to by-trustee area election is as follows:

MDUSD initiates the process to submit a request to the State Board of Education to waive the requirement for a Special Election to be held in order to approve the trustee area maps. If the waiver application is approved by the State Board, it would allow the MDUSD Board to approve the maps after the required public hearings and community forums, and implement the new trustee-area elections for the elections in November 2020.

June 10, 2019

First Public Hearing to solicit input from the public regarding the composition of the trustee areas. The hearing may potentially include a discussion of whether to create five or seven trustee area maps.

June 24, 2019

Second Public Hearing to solicit input from the public regarding the composition of the trustee areas. The meeting may potentially include adoption of a resolution regarding the criteria to guide the creation of the trustee areas. The Board will also hold a public hearing on the request to the State Board of Education to waive the state requirement to call a Special Election to approve trustee-area maps.

August 16, 2019

Draft maps are posted and distributed.

August 21 – September 11, 2019

District holds a total of eight community forums to provide community opportunity to review draft maps and provide input.

September 23, 2019

Third Public Hearing to solicit public input on draft maps of trustee areas and proposed sequence of elections and summarize input from community forums. The meeting may include potential Board action to narrow number of published draft maps for final consideration, and/or to direct the creation of one or more revised draft maps. The meeting may also provide for further public hearing activity on the waiver request to State Board of Education.

October 14, 2019

Fourth Public Hearing to solicit public input on draft maps of trustee areas and proposed sequence of elections. The meeting will include resolutions to adopt the trustee-area maps and proposed sequence of elections, and to request a waiver of the Special Election requirement from the State Board of Education.

November 2019

County Committee on School District Organization conducts public hearing within District boundaries. The Committee would be asked to approve the trustee areas and election method change.

November 2019

The State Board of Education takes action on waiver request.

January 2020

Information and map files of the new trustee areas provided to the Contra Costa County Registrar of Voters.

November 2020

First trustee-area (districts) elections are held.

About Mt. Diablo Unified

Mt. Diablo Unified, located in Contra Costa County, is honored to serve approximately 32,000 students at one of more than 50 school sites in the cities of Clayton, Concord, Pleasant Hill; portions of Martinez, Pittsburg and Walnut Creek; and the unincorporated communities of Bay Point, Lafayette, and Pacheco. As part of a richly diverse community, MDUSD families represent numerous ethnic communities, speaking nearly 50 different languages and dialects. We offer award-winning innovative programs in Career Technical Education (CTE); Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM); extensive visual and performing arts programs; and rich foreign language and dual immersion offerings. MDUSD is pleased to have the only International Baccalaureate (IB) program in Contra Costa County at Ygnacio Valley High School; Oak Grove Middle School is an approved candidate for the IB Middle Years Programme. MDUSD has one of only three middle college programs regionally, our College Now program, enabling high school juniors and seniors to earn college credits while also meeting high school graduation requirements. MDUSD also has implemented the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program across the district, K-12. Learn more at http://www.mdusd.org/.